Old Bi-fold turned Partition Reveal

Okay, so remember these bad boys?

I picked 'em up at the D.I. for $20. Maybe a bit pricey once you factor in the price of paint and primer etc., but I had beeen waiting and waiting ever so long for them so I popped on 'em.
The poor things were covered in mummified spiders and pet hair...ick.

But, I saw through the cobwebs and knew that they had great potential. After a thorough rub down, I primed them.

I didn't take a picture. But I only wanted to use three of the four panels, so I unhinged one set and used that hinge to attach the third panel to the other set of two. I did this after they were primed, but before I had started on the painting...so I didn't mistakenly knick up the paint.
After they were primed and hinged together, I sprayed black paint everywhere I wanted it to show through. I used my candle wax method (which you can learn about here.
I could have spray painted the whole project black, but I knew where I wanted the black paint to show through so I just spot painted instead.)

Then I waxed over all of the black areas with an old candle I had on hand. I know it's not pretty, but don't worry.

Then I sprayed on the top coat in my favorite color...Ocean Breeze by Krylon.

Then, I rubbed, rubbed, rubbed...where I had waxed.

Then glazed a little too...for good measure.

And voila...a cool, rustic partition; perfect for concealing clutter or spicing up a bland corner.

Here she is in her new home.


Just pretend those smudges on the front of the piano aren't there.

Linkin up to:

Tutorial For Distressed Letters-Using Candle Wax

I know I mentioned something about decoupaging letters for my writing nook in my last post, but I decided to paint them using one of my favorite distressing techniques instead.
But first, remember how my "nook" looked before:

Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. Keep in mind that I spent under $24 to create this little space.
That said, I felt like it still needed a little somthin' somethin'.
So, I decided to put letters inside the frames. I wanted them to look super old and weathered and I knew this candle wax technique would be perfect. I decided on the letters "e", "t" and "c"...an omage to my longwindedness, which I'm sure you've all realized by now.

I started by giving the letters a base coat of blue paint. Note that I used tole paint for this project. Generally I would use spray paint, especially for a bigger project, but since I didn't have the exact colors I wanted on hand (and becuase I was too lazy to run to the store)I used tole paint instead.

After the letters were dry to the touch, I scuffed them up using a little votive candle I had on hand (spiced cider scent optional :)) The wax is going to prevent the second coat of paint from adhereing to the letters, so bare that in mind as you are waxing up your project. If you do happen to get wax where you don't want it, you can wipe it off with a dry rag. In my opinion the more haphazard you are, the better it will turn out, so don't worry too much.



Next comes the top coat of paint. If you choose to brush paint rather than spray you need to be extra careful not to brush off all of the wax. I tend to prefer spray painting for this exact reason.

Once the top coat has thoroughly dried, wipe away all of the wax using a dry rag.

The base coat color with start showing through and reveal an awesome worn and weathered look of peeling paint.

I love how rustic they turned out.

And they seem to like their new home too.

I've actually used this technique on several larger projects.
My newly pimped out frame. You can go here for the how to.

And my bedroom dresser

I hope you try this technique out. It is super easy and the end result is always stunning and eye catching. Let me know how your projects turn out. Better yet, send me a pic or link to your blog. Good luck.

Pimp My Frame-tutorial

I don't know about you, but I like things chunky...salsa, peanut butter, babies and especially frames.
I know, by experience, that thick, lucious frames can cost as pretty penny. But, I have figured out a way to create your own chunk-a-licious frames for a fraction of the cost. All you need is an existing frame and some moulding.
Let the chunkifying begin.

Begin by removing the mirror or picture and glass from the frame and set them aside.

Next, measure all four sides of the frame making note of all the measurements.


These measurements will be used for cutting the moulding to size. I like to mark the board with the measurements and then compare them to the frame just to make sure everything looks right.



Now it's time to get the hubby to cut the moulding, or time to get your Bob Villa on and do it yourself. Just a reminder, the pieces will have a miter cut on either end rather than a regular straight cut. Mitered simply means cut at a 45 degree angle and looks like this.


I had never actually touched a miter saw prior to this project and cut all of the pieces myself. Using the saw is not that difficult. However, mitering all of the edges can get a little tricky. If you're measurements are not accurate the miters will not meet up properly. My suggestion is to cut your pieces one at a time and dry fit them to the frame before moving on to the next piece.

Here's what it should look like when it's done. Please note that although mitering can be a little tricky, it really isn't that difficult if you just take your time (which you probably wanna do anyway when working with a freaky, scary saw). And also bare in mind that it doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, the imperfections are what add character to the frame.


Once you have your pieces dry fitted you can begin gluing them to the existing frame. I used Gorilla brand wood glue. I don't know about you, but a big gorilla on the bottle seems like the strongest, dontcha think? I used clamps to hold the pieces together tightly. I also used a staple gun to stabilize the frame further. If you don't want the staples seen you can staple on the backside of the frame. Or, you can do what I did and staple the frontside. In my opnion the staples add a cool, rustic feel to the frame.


After the frame has had ample amount of time to cure...approximately 24 hours, you can paint it.

Be sure to place it in a prominent place in your house so that you and others can admire it in all it's chunkified glory for years to come.

Here are some before and afters of the frame I did.
Before:(


After:)

Uh-hum, yes those are Halloween decorations you see. Don't hate!

Mmmmmm. Chunk-a-licious.


Good luck on pimpin' your frame. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or contact me at brendleca@yahoo.com.
I'd love to see some before and after's of your pimped out frames, so please share.